Nome Superette: No food order too weird

Advance photo/Jamie LeeEverything bagels with cream cheese and ketchup are just a few oddities.

When Willowbrook resident Odel Hazan heard the order, her ears perked up and her stomach turned.

"Hey, lemme get an everything bagel with cream cheese and ketchup," said the young lady on the customer side of the Nome Superette counter.

Hazan has been working at the New Springville delicatessen for over a year now, but the memory of that particular late-night sandwich has stayed with her.

For obvious reasons.

"During the day, you get most of the same type of stuff," Ms. Hazan said. "But at two or three o'clock in the morning, that's when some of the weird orders come."

Fellow counterperson Kathleen Iacone, who counts 21 years under her apron at Nome, couldn't agree more with her young partner. She has also taken some doozies in her time, ironically, dealing with bizarre choices in condiments as well.

"The weirdest thing I think I've had to make is a bacon, egg and cheese with salt, pepper, ketchup ... and jelly," laughed Ms. Iacone, who also recalled having to mix fresh macaroni salad with ketchup to satisfy one patron's craving. "I can't even imagine how that tastes."

That doesn't mean that the day-time palates on the West Shore haven't been changing as well, albeit in a different direction.

"We have five different kinds of sliced chicken now," said manager Majid Arab of the Nome inventory, which still lists all of the regular deli favorites as well. "There's honey-maple chicken that we've been selling. I never heard of that before recently."

It would appear that the chicken craze is tied directly into the increased demand for healthier food and gym-friendly meals, which would also explain the explosion of the energy drink stock at the deli.

"It started with Red Bull," Arab said. "And now we've got tons of energy drinks from Monster to Rockstar to Full Throttle to Vitamin Water to Muscle Milk. It's crazy how popular they've gotten."

So for those New Springville occupants craving a high-octane beverage and a unique late-night combo, Nome should be the way to go.